SCIENCE Review: Habitat and Niche worksheet - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to fill in the blanks using the word bank provided.

Word Bank:
- habitat
- A biologist
- interdependent
- Ecology
- environment
- ecosystem
- Niche
- Great horned owls
- Eco -
- Eagles

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Question 1: “…………………hunt mice during the day”

→ We know eagles are daytime hunters (diurnal), and great horned owls hunt at night. So this must be Eagles.

✔ Answer: Eagles

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Question 2: “In a healthy ecosystem, populations are…………………”

→ In ecology, when species depend on each other for survival (like food, shelter, pollination), we say they are interdependent.

✔ Answer: interdependent

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Question 3: “Both eagles and great horned owls share the same ……………………”

→ They both live in similar places — like forests or open areas near trees — so they share the same habitat. (Note: They don’t share the same *niche* because one hunts by day, one by night.)

✔ Answer: habitat

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Question 4: “…………………is the role or part played by an organism in its habitat.”

→ This is the definition of Niche. For example, a bee’s niche is to pollinate flowers and make honey.

✔ Answer: Niche

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Question 5: “…………………hunt mice at night”

→ Owls are nocturnal. The word bank includes “Great horned owls” — perfect fit.

✔ Answer: Great horned owls

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Question 6: “The term ……………………first appeared in a 1935 publication by”

→ The term “ecosystem” was first used by British ecologist Arthur Tansley in 1935. So the blank should be ecosystem.

Wait — let’s check the word bank again. It has “ecosystem” and also “Eco -”. But “Eco -” looks incomplete — probably meant to be “Ecology”? But “ecology” as a field started earlier (late 1800s). The specific term coined in 1935 is “ecosystem”.

Also, note: the sentence says “the term … first appeared in a 1935 publication by” — it doesn’t ask for the person’s name, just the term. So “ecosystem” fits.

But wait — looking back at the word bank: there’s “Eco -” which might be a typo or cut-off version of “Ecologist” or something? No — actually, in some contexts, “Eco-” is a prefix, but here it’s listed as a separate item. However, since “ecosystem” is in the bank and matches historically, we’ll use that.

Actually — double-checking history: Yes, Arthur Tansley introduced the term “ecosystem” in 1935.

So answer is ecosystem

BUT — hold on! Let me re-read question 6:
“The term ……………………first appeared in a 1935 publication by”

It ends with “by” — meaning it expects a person? But none of the words in the bank are names except maybe “A biologist” — which is vague.

Wait — perhaps it’s referring to who coined it? But the blank is for the *term*, not the person. The structure is: “The term [blank] first appeared... by [someone]” — but the someone isn’t asked for; only the term is blank.

Looking at the word bank again: “A biologist” is there — could that be the answer? Like: “The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935 publication by A biologist” — but that’s awkward. Actually, Tansley was a botanist/ecologist — often called a biologist.

But the blank is right after “term”, so it should be the scientific term being defined.

Perhaps the intended answer is “ecosystem”, and the “by” leads into the next part (which isn’t shown)? Or maybe it’s a trick.

Wait — another possibility: sometimes “ecology” is mistakenly thought to have been coined then, but no — Haeckel coined “ecology” in 1866.

Actually, upon second thought — I recall that the term “ecosystem” was indeed introduced by Tansley in 1935. So the term is “ecosystem”.

But let’s look at the word bank: we have “ecosystem” and “Eco -”. Maybe “Eco -” is meant to be “Ecologist”? But it’s written as “Eco -” — possibly a formatting error.

Alternatively, perhaps the answer is “A biologist” — as in: “The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935 publication by A biologist” — but that would mean the blank is for “A biologist”, which doesn’t fit grammatically unless the sentence continues.

Wait — rereading: “The term ……………………first appeared in a 1935 publication by”

This suggests the blank is the term, and then “by [author]” — but since the author isn’t requested, and the blank is before “first appeared”, it must be the term.

Moreover, in many textbooks, this exact phrasing appears with “ecosystem” as the answer.

Also, note: in the word bank, “ecosystem” is present, and it makes sense.

But let’s consider: if we put “ecosystem” in blank 6, then what about “Eco -”? That seems odd.

Another idea: perhaps “Eco -” is meant to be “Ecology”, but spelled wrong? Unlikely.

Wait — maybe question 6 is: “The term __________ first appeared in a 1935 publication by [Arthur Tansley]” — and the blank is for the term, which is “ecosystem”.

I think we’re overcomplicating. Based on standard biology curriculum:

- Term coined in 1935: ecosystem
- By: Arthur Tansley (a biologist)

Since “A biologist” is in the word bank, and the sentence ends with “by”, perhaps the blank is for “A biologist”? But that doesn’t make sense because “the term A biologist” is nonsense.

Unless the sentence is: “The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935 publication by A biologist” — but then the blank should be “ecosystem”, and “A biologist” is extra.

Perhaps the worksheet has a mistake, or “Eco -” is meant to be “ecologist”.

Let me check online quickly (within knowledge cutoff): Yes, “ecosystem” was coined by Tansley in 1935.

Given that, and since “ecosystem” is in the word bank, I’ll go with that for blank 6.

But wait — let’s count how many blanks and how many words.

There are 6 questions, and 10 words in the bank. Some words may not be used, or some used twice? Probably not — usually all are used once.

List of words:
1. habitat
2. A biologist
3. interdependent
4. Ecology
5. environment
6. ecosystem
7. Niche
8. Great horned owls
9. Eco -
10. Eagles

We’ve used:
Q1: Eagles
Q2: interdependent
Q3: habitat
Q4: Niche
Q5: Great horned owls
Q6: ?

Left: A biologist, Ecology, environment, ecosystem, Eco -

Now, for Q6, if we put “ecosystem”, then we have unused: A biologist, Ecology, environment, Eco -

That’s four left, but only six questions — so probably not all words are used? Or did I miss something?

Perhaps Q6 is “The term __________ first appeared...” and the answer is “ecosystem”, and “A biologist” is for another purpose? But there’s no other blank.

Another possibility: maybe “Eco -” is meant to be “Ecologist”, and the answer is “A biologist” for Q6? Let’s try that.

If Q6: “The term ecosystem first appeared in a 1935 publication by A biologist” — but the blank is where “ecosystem” should be, not “A biologist”.

The sentence structure is: “The term [BLANK] first appeared...” so BLANK must be the term.

Perhaps in some versions, it’s “The concept of __________ was introduced by a biologist in 1935” — but here it’s “the term”.

I recall that in some worksheets, this question is answered with “ecosystem”.

Moreover, “environment” and “ecology” are too broad.

“Eco -” is likely a distractor or error.

Perhaps “Eco -” is meant to be “ecological”, but still.

Let’s think differently: maybe for Q6, the answer is “A biologist” — as in, the term was published by a biologist, but that doesn’t fit the grammar.

Unless the blank is for the publisher or author, but the sentence says “the term ... first appeared”, so the term is the subject.

I think the safest bet is to use “ecosystem” for Q6, as it’s historically accurate and fits the context.

Then, the remaining words like “A biologist”, “Ecology”, etc., might not be used, or perhaps there’s a seventh question not shown? But the image shows only up to 6.

Looking back at the user's image description, it cuts off at "6. The term .........................first appeared in a 1935 publication by" — so it's incomplete, but we have to work with what's given.

Perhaps "by" is followed by the author, and the blank is for the term, so "ecosystem" is correct.

I found a similar worksheet online (in my training data): typically, Q6 is "ecosystem".

So I'll go with that.

Final assignments:

1. Eagles
2. interdependent
3. habitat
4. Niche
5. Great horned owls
6. ecosystem

Now, verify if any word is used twice or missed.

Used: Eagles, interdependent, habitat, Niche, Great horned owls, ecosystem

Unused: A biologist, Ecology, environment, Eco -

That’s okay — not all words need to be used, or perhaps "Eco -" is a red herring.

Maybe "Eco -" is meant for "Ecology", but we didn't use it.

Another thought: in Q6, if we put "A biologist", it would be: "The term A biologist first appeared..." which is wrong.

So definitely not.

Perhaps the term is "ecology", but that was coined earlier.

No, I think "ecosystem" is correct.

So final answers:

1. Eagles
2. interdependent
3. habitat
4. Niche
5. Great horned owls
6. ecosystem

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Final Answer:
1. Eagles
2. interdependent
3. habitat
4. Niche
5. Great horned owls
6. ecosystem